$13,310

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We've done it! Thanks to each and every one of you, we've now reached and exceeded our Kickstarter goal for OF THE SEA. We're over 100 percent!

Every dollar pledged beyond our goal will be put toward the editing of our film. The campaign is still open to new backers and pledges until Thursday, May 8 at 7pm PDT – and we'd love to continue rallying support for this project. Let's keep it up!

Will you help share this story with the world?

OF THE SEA is a documentary that brings California fishermen in front of the camera. They share their lives and perspectives – on fishing, the ocean, and sustainability – with the community and the world. We are making this film to connect people who eat seafood with the people who catch it, and to inspire viewers to make responsible seafood choices that support local fishermen.

Your support will help us complete filming and begin editing OF THE SEA, sharing this important story of seafood and sustainability with the world. By backing this project, you can pre-purchase your access to the film once released!

Watch the trailer for a sneak peek at the film:

Are you passionate about sustainability, an advocate for the
ocean or love seafood? Do you shop with your values and encourage others
to do so? This story is for you: to learn about the ocean and our
relationship to it, and to share with your friends and family as an
educational tool.

Our talented team of filmmakers is working to create a beautiful and impactful film.

Mischa Hedges is the producer/director and editor. He's the Founder + Chief Storyteller at TrimTab Media, and OF THE SEA will be his fourth documentary. Melissa Stevens is co-producer. She works with the Nature Conservancy on fisheries projects and is a great connection to the fishing industry. Justin Lewis is director of photography and is helping capture some absolutely stunning footage at sea. Sashwa Burrous is a cinematographer capturing additional footage, and some amazing time lapses for the film. Carrie Pomeroy and Irene Reti are advisors on the project.

OF THE SEA is currently in production. We are capturing stories from fishermen along the California coast – and we need your help to finish the film!

Over the past 5 months, our filmmaking team has captured hours of beautiful, inspiring footage for OF THE SEA. We have interviewed fishermen up and down the California coast, from Fort Bragg to San Francisco to Morro Bay. We've captured footage on fishing boats, and discovered stories about innovative seafood startups that are helping to bridge the gap between fishermen and people who eat seafood.

With starter funding from Cal Humanities, the initial production of OF THE SEA has been a great success (see the behind-the-scenes updates on our website). There is currently enough footage for a 15-minute short film – but there are several more stories that we want to include in the film...

Our goal is to create a 30-minute documentary. We plan to capture additional interviews and locations to tell a more complete story about fishermen, seafood and sustainability that will have the opportunity to reach a much wider audience than a shorter film. If we can find more grant funding, we'll expand this film into a 60-minute feature documentary.

In the first year, this film has the potential to reach at least 2.5 Million screens. We’ll be showing the film at film festivals and community screenings – and it will be broadcast on local PBS affiliates and available to watch online. We already have a letter of interest from KRCB, a PBS affiliate in the San Francisco Bay Area.

We need your support to finish this film. Will you back this project and help us tell this story?

Filming with a crew of 2-3 people costs us about $1,500 per day, including crew fees, equipment, meals, lodging and transportation. OF THE SEA needs an additional $12,500 of funding in order to complete the film's production. Your contributions will directly support this project by funding an additional 5 days of "on location" shoots and help us begin the editing process.

Fishermen are the stewards of some of the last wild food on our planet: fish.

Struggling to revive a fading way of life, fishermen and entrepreneurs are creating new models for how to support sustainably produced seafood. We are making this film to share the stories of these fishing communities, and to show how people like you and I can support a local, responsible seafood industry.

Ready to pledge? Choose your reward and back this project!

Check out the list of rewards on the right including...

An exclusive online screening of the film (once released)

Getting your name featured in the film's credits

Receiving an official movie poster, signed by the director

An invitation to join the film crew on a shoot day

And much more...

Every contribution is a voice of support for sustainable fishing! Are you ready to join us? Click the BACK THIS PROJECT button at the top of this page and select your reward.

Already contributed? You can help spread the word! Here's how:

1. Share on Facebook! We are at facebook.com/oftheseamovie. Here are some sample messages that you can copy and paste to make it quick and easy:

I just backed a documentary project on Kickstarter! OF THE SEA tells the story of California fishermen: http://kck.st/1k6Fqs9

Are you passionate about sustainability? Or wild about seafood? Help fund a new film, called OF THE SEA: http://kck.st/1k6Fqs9

2. Tweet about it! Our team is @trimtabmedia on Twitter. Feel free to use the same messages above, customize to your liking, and spread the word.

3. Add a badge (or publish a post) on your blog or website
to promote this project! Find graphics and more info in the OF THE SEA Press Kit. Link back to this page, so more people can
learn about the project.

4. Send an email to 5-10 friends. Share a simple note – "thought you'd be interested in this project" – and share this URL (http://kck.st/1k6Fqs9) for them to watch the trailer.

OF THE SEA: a film about California fishermen

Risks and challenges

The production for OF THE SEA is already well underway, so the director and filmmaking team are fully committed to completing the film. But that said, making films – especially documentaries – involves many inherent challenges and risks...

The biggest challenge is distribution – although OF THE SEA has a letter of interest from PBS affiliates, we do not have a contract yet. We also do not have acceptance letters from film festivals yet – festival programmers and broadcasters need to see the film before they program it!

Our goal is to debut the film in a series of screenings across California, and at film festivals to generate buzz, before our PBS broadcast and the online film release. If you fund the project, we intend to continue our production over the summer, finish editing this fall, and have the film ready to begin screening in November or December 2014.

Some of the incentives, like postcards and movie posters, dinners and on-location visits will be fulfilled well before the film is finished, but tickets to the premiere and screening party won't be available until the film is done. For those of you who will be attending an event or joining us on location, we will do our best to keep you in the loop on our schedule.

THE FINE PRINT
• For those of you visiting us on location, we anticipate additional shooting will occur in May, July and August in Northern and Central California. However, this has the potential to change. We will keep you updated so you can plan ahead to visit us.

• You must be over 18 or accompanied by a parent or legal guardian (who will count as your plus one) to attend the premiere or visit us on location.

• Some rewards may require additional paperwork. If you end up appearing in the film, you will have to sign a release.

• Thanks so much for your support. Making documentaries has many ups and downs, and I am deeply grateful that you are choosing to join our team for the ride.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

VIP LAUNCH PARTY. Two (2) tickets to the VIP launch party in San Francisco – and two (2) sponsor tickets to the film's premiere in Fort Bragg, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, or Los Angeles

Plus an official movie poster (11x17), signed by the director – an exclusive online screening of the film (once released) – a "thank you" postcard – and your name will appear with "special thanks" in the film's credits!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

VIP LAUNCH PARTY PLUS. Four (4) tickets to the VIP launch party in San Francisco – and four (4) sponsor tickets to the film's premiere in Fort Bragg, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, or Los Angeles

Plus an official movie poster (11x17), signed by the director – an exclusive online screening of the film (once released) – a "thank you" postcard – and your name will appear with "special thanks" in the film's credits!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

DIRECTOR'S DINNER. Private dinner for (2) guests with the film's Director + Cinematographer in San Francisco – and four (4) tickets to VIP launch party in San Francisco

Plus four (4) sponsor tickets to the film's premiere in Fort Bragg, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, or Los Angeles – an official movie poster (11x17), signed by the director – an exclusive online screening of the film (once released) – a "thank you" postcard – and your name will appear with "special thanks" in the film's credits!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

EXECUTIVE ACCESS. Your name will appear in the film's credits as an 'Executive Producer' – and receive a special invitation for two (2) guests to accompany the OF THE SEA crew on a filming day at sea

Plus a private dinner for (2) guests with the film's Director + Cinematographer in San Francisco – four (4) tickets to VIP launch party in San Francisco – four (4) sponsor tickets to the film's premiere in Fort Bragg, San Francisco, Santa Cruz or Los Angeles – an official movie poster (11x17), signed by the director – an exclusive online screening of the film (once released) – a "thank you" postcard – and your name will appear in the film's credits!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

EXECUTIVE ACCESS PLUS. Your name will appear in the film's credits as an 'Executive Producer' – and receive a special invitation for four (4) guests to accompany the OF THE SEA crew on a filming day at sea

Plus a private dinner for four (4) guests with the film's Director + Cinematographer in San Francisco – four (4) tickets to VIP launch party in San Francisco – four (4) sponsor tickets to the film's premiere in Fort Bragg, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, or Los Angeles – an official movie poster (11x17), signed by the director – an exclusive online screening of the film (once released) – a "thank you" postcard – and your name will appear in the film's credits!